29.6.08

The Other Night Sky

Officially, what you're seeing does not exist. In fact, none of the 189 satellites in Trevor Paglen's exhibit The Other Night Sky (pictured) are officially acknowledged by the government, because they are (presumably) used for spying. The photographer used documents collected by amateur astronomers to predict where and when the real-life UFOs would be flying by, and then he captured them in these time-lapse photos. Paglen says they have metaphorical value (something about Galileo and church doctrine), but we say they're simply as beautiful as they are unsettling—in more ways than one.The Other Night Sky, now through Sept. 14, BAM Galleries, 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA, (510) 642-0808, bampfa.berkeley.eduvia Wired